Trusted Choice ® News Feed

Every year, what should be a fun outdoor occasion for family and friends instead turns into tragedy at nearly 9,000 homes, causing deaths, injuries and tens of millions in property damage. Your Trusted Choice® independent insurance agents can remind you that fire damage and potential liability for injury to friends will be covered by your homeowners policy, but we'd much rather you sidle up to the picnic table than hunker down in the emergency room.
Gas grills represent the greatest risk by far, and are involved in more than 80% of all grilling fires. But all types of grills represent a danger if used incorrectly or carelessly. A few simple precautions, courtesy of the experts at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), may make the difference:

Like many entrepreneurs, you may have begun your catering business as the sole cook and bottle washer. But at some point, you will discover that going it alone not only impedes growth, but is a recipe for burnout and collapse. And you'll face the question of every successful catering business: How do I find and retain effective staff?

Location is one of the first decisions any caterer must face. Where will the prep work be done? Where will the cooking take place? Where will the food be served? All important questions when it comes to your risk.

Congratulations! Your name is the first that springs to mind when your family and friends think "great food." Your snacks are supreme, your deserts to die for and your specialities truly spectacular. In fact, you think it may be time to go all-out with your culinary creativity.

Celebrating a child's birthday is a joyous occasion for family and friends. Parents strive to fulfill their children's wishes on their special day, but often, those wishes come with a hefty price tag.
Years ago, simple house parties with a cake and piñata were the norm. But today, many families take child parties to a whole new level, selecting elaborate venues and doling out expensive goodie bags. According to TodaysParent.com, hosting kids' parties at a venue or with entertainers tends to cost a few hundred dollars minimum. In addition to this financial investment, parents should understand their responsibilities and liabilities when hosting a birthday party for their child.

Typically, a homeowner does not pay a higher insurance premium if a gun is present in the home. But gun owners should take heed regarding extenuating factors. For example, if you own expensive or antique firearms, your policy may not cover their full value in the event that your home is destroyed or burglarized.
If an accidental gun discharge in your home injures or kills someone, you could find yourself facing a wrongful death lawsuit or something similar. If you lose the case, you could be responsible for paying monetary damages like attorney's fees, medical costs, and even loss of expected income. A minimum $100,000 policy is unlikely to cover all of these expenses, so it is important to speak to a Trusted Choice® independent insurance agent as soon as you make the decision to purchase a gun to initiate any necessary changes to your policy.

Congratulations Class of 2015: Now It's Time to Graduate to Your Own Insurance!

It's a rite of passage for college students to don cap and gown and march across the stage for graduation ceremonies- in fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) almost 1.85 million students will graduate with a bachelor's degree in 2015. As those 1.85 million make the transition from undergraduates to careers, pursuit of advanced degrees or back into mom and dad's basement, it's critical that they understand how walking across the stage may have changed their insurance needs.

CONTEST DESCRIPTION: Twitter users who have purchased a new home between September 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015 can "Tweet" a photo of themselves, or family and friends, to the official Trusted Choice Twitter Account (@Trusted_Choice) to be eligible to win a $500 Visa gift card. Trusted Choice will notify the winner via Private Message on Twitter for confirmation and mailing information.

College graduation! The pictures, the gown, the caps in the air, the world awaits!
Yet many recent graduates will find themselves awaiting that world after returning to live in their parents' home. Whether due to lifestyle changes, generational preferences or simply the economy, today's graduates often find themselves wondering how their parents' generation ever survived striking out on their own during and after college.
Those nostalgic times of "gone to look for America" via small apartments, shared houses, trailers or tents seem more fairy tale than reality to today's often student-loan laden graduates and young adults. And it is not just recent graduates that return. Often adult children who have previously established separate residences find themselves returning to the nest following economic trial, divorce or illness, sometimes with their children in tow. This phenomenon of adult children returning home to live has become so common it has garnered its own name: the boomerang generation.

Potholes got you down? We understand. After this past winter's severe weather, many motorists are experiencing costly vehicle damage from potholes. A survey conducted by Trusted Choice® and IIABA found that from 2009 to 2014 half of car owners experienced damage to their vehicles as a result of potholes. The survey also found that 31% of car owners who reported pothole damage to their vehicles filed a claim with their insurance company, but a surprising 65% of respondents who needed repairs said they (or a third party) paid out of pocket for the vehicle to be fixed.

You've seen the television shows and the excessive social media posts-some people are really racking up savings by using coupons when shopping. But while manufacturers and stores create coupons to provide discounts to consumers, some consumers are finding that the "savings" aren't adding up.

Own a Home-Based Business? Think 'Presidentially' When Considering Risks

No, we are not implying you fancy yourself the next Washington or Lincoln. But are you the proud owner or founder of one of the estimated 59% of established businesses in the United States that operate from a home? Then, even if your face doesn't appear on Mount Rushmore, for your business you are still the top dog, head cheese, or grand high poobah. So welcome to your month, Ms. or Mr. President!
But just as you realize that there are similarities to all businesses, wherever located, you also know there are often concerns, considerations and risks unique to a home-based environment. And your Trusted Choice® agent wants to remind you that designing proper protection encompassing both those common and unique risks requires ongoing communication and review of your current insurance and risk management programs.

Who says you need to be married to purchase a home? According to Bloomberg.com, single Americans make up more than half of the adult population-and many of them want to create their own version of the American Dream. Contacting a Trusted Choice® agent can be the key to success for single folks who are in the market to purchase a home, but here are some things to consider in the meantime.

2015 is just days away, and that means it's time to get your finances in order. Many people find it easy to begin the journey during the first week of January, but by March, bad habits begin to resurface.